Meta

I was out in the rain today in the Harbison area, and noticed this place as I drove back to the Interstate. I guess I'd heard the name Smokey Bones somewhere or other, but given my low interest in barbecue, I had no real idea where the place was, or that it was gone. From the note left on the door, I'm guessing that the same owner runs the listed Red Lobster and Olive Garden locations.

The architecture of the place is interesting. The entrance looks vaguely asian, and I wonder if the building were some sort of asian restaurant before Smokey Bones.

UPDATE 16 November 2011: Updated the closing date based on commenter Andrew's research.

26 Responses to 'Smokey Bones, 410 Columbiana Drive: May 2007'

This was built as a Smokey Bones. We ate there occasionally. They had bison burgers, which were good. I don't think I had their ribs. Their entire chain went under, not just this location. They had a dessert entitled "Joey Bag of Donuts" which was good. They also had those Damon's type of tv boxes on the table where you could tune into audio of one of six or so different televisions placed throughout the restaurant. I am very surprised nothing has moved in there yet.

Quite the contrary, their problem was that the cost of all that fresh meat was causing the chain to lose money hand over fist. Quality never seemed to be a problem, but it was a pricey place to go eat. Their brisket was better than any chain restaurant's had a right to be.

Darden (the parent company of Smokey Bones as well as Red Lobster and The Olive Garden) closed a few of the restaurants and sold the rest to a different company and they remain open. There's one in Charleston and one in Concord almost across the interstate from LMS.

As for the facade, that's how all the Smokey Bones looked. The concept was that of a hunting lodge, but you're right, it does look Asian. I'm a little surprised that the umpteenth Japanese steakhouse that's being built on the other side of the Hilton didn't move into this building instead.

The Japanese steakhouse just moved from Columbiana Centre to beside Hilton. There are Smokey Bones in Atlanta(Conyers?) and Chattanooga, doing quite well. The Sticky Fingers in Harbison is the only one I have ever heard of closing, and it was packed until they locked the doors the last time. What happened?

Also the nearby Steak and Shake which closed around the same time remians vaccant as well. The one thatl baffles me the most is that the old New Orleans restaurant, which has one of the best views of the city, still remains empty.

I suspect we will need a big turn around in the economy before those places are reoccupied.

I ate at Steak and Shake twice. Once to try it out. Found the service slow and poor and the food average. The second time was several months later and I only went because someone had given me a gift card and I did not want it to go to waste. Discovered that all the concerns I had the first time, were still there. (On both occassions I heard patrons complained to the manager.)

I later heard some rumors about people who worked there embelzelling funds and doing drugs which supposidly is why it was closed.